NIK positively assessed CERN

Results of the audit conducted by NIK at the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN were presented in Geneva. The work of the Polish audit team led, among others, to the implementation of several new regulations, which define the public procurement procedures more precisely. NIK President, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, said that this audit was one of the most extensive international audits conducted by the Office in its hundred year long history.

Meeting of the CERN Council in Geneva

NIK audited the financial activity of CERN and its Pension Fund (FE CERN). The budget of the organisation exceeds one million CHF, out of which half is constituted by material expenditure that requires the application of public procurement procedures. The audit team examined selected contracts each year of the audit (which lasted 5 years), checking the regularity of the applied procedures. All opinions on the financial statements of CERN and its pension fund were positive. The compliance of financial transactions with regulations was also assessed positively. As Krzysztof Kwiatkowski noted: this is evidence of soundly based financial statement, high accountability level and professionalism of financial services at the CERN.

NIK President, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski and the President of CERN Council, prof Sijbrand de Jong

Polish auditors also reviewed the financial statements of the CERN Pension Fund - its investment activity, collected contributions and paid-out benefits. The audit team formulated recommendations aimed to improve the informative value of the reports, for instance to prepare an annual report with additional data on the financial situation in the long-term perspective. Representatives of CERN and FE CERN admitted that the audit contributed to the management of the organisation’s vast assets, and its accountability process.

The meeting in Geneva was also attended by the representatives of the National Audit Office of Finland, which will conduct the audit in 2018-2020. The Polish audit team shared its experience gathered during the five-year term of office.

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) was established in 1954 and is based in Geneva. It currently associates 20 member states. CERN is one of the most prestigious scientific research organisations, that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. It is also a centre for research and implementation of experimental solutions in various science fields. Many activities at CERN currently involve operating the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and most powerful particle collider. Poland has been a full member of CERN since 1991 and previously, since 1963, participated as an observer.